Blog

One of the joys of teaching at CHA is the freedom that exists. Freedom within the student body to learn, smile, be joyful, laugh and love. Freedom within the faculty to dream and create. If you have not visited the halls of CHA during Christmas, I invite you to do so. The elementary halls are adorned with beautiful student-produced artwork. The secondary locker rooms are an expression of creativity and youthfulness. It is indeed a “season to be jolly.”

This joy of the Lord is carried outside our walls into our world. One of the distinctives of CHA is missions. During the Christmas season, every grade has a class mission project. From the fourth grade delivering coats and gloves to Buchanan elementary, to the kindergarten class serving at Faithworks and the fifth and eleventh grades ministering at Boys Ranch Town, Christ’s love is shared in our community. Beyond our city limits, CHA’s reach extends. Every class in the secondary has a class missionary for whom they pray and support throughout the year. From backpacks sent to Mexico for the children and money sent for missionaries around the globe, CHA students have a global perspective of missions and their responsibility to propagate the gospel. Our faculty and staff also participate in missions. Last Wednesday afternoon, our faculty and staff took a small gift to over fifteen of our nearby neighbors & surrounding businesses and prayed with them. The prayer requests were recorded so that we can continue to pray for our neighbors throughout the year.

As 2018 comes to a close, would you consider partnering with us in the gospel? Here are five ways to join CHA in our ministry to not only our students and families but around the world:

Prayer - Please pray for the upcoming enrollment season. Our prayer is to enroll 100 new students. This increase is not about numbers. It is about influence. We believe that CHA has been called to train American Christian Leaders in every sphere of society. We have some of the best and most dedicated faculty and staff members in the state.

Capital Campaign - Christian Heritage Academy offers its supporters many opportunities to invest in improving the facility and transportation needs of students. The Pursuing Excellence campaign focuses on both academic and athletic building and transportation improvements. This is a $1.9 million project. Recently, we purchased two new buses which should be arriving in early January. In November, we celebrated the opening of our new Genesis Learning Center. We still need $900,000 in new monies to complete the third floor remodel and secondary STEM rooms. If you would like to give to this project or learn more about this, please click here for more information.

Heritage Fund - Christian Heritage Academy offers its supporters many opportunities to support student learning. Investors in the school’s mission may give to the Heritage Fund which supports areas such as science, technology, fine arts, teacher grants and a variety of other areas in the school directly impacting student learning. Last year, monies given at the Heritage Banquet and from private donors funded items such as new chromebook carts for students, allowed teachers to attend conferences, enabled the establishment of a kinesthetic learning lab for lower elementary students (The Loop) and purchased innovative curriculum for classrooms. If you would like to give to the Heritage Fund or to learn more about this, please click here for more information.

Opportunity Scholarship Fund - The OSF allows taxpayers to redirect a portion of their state tax dollars to provide tuition scholarships for students attending a private school. OSF donors receive a 75% tax credit not to exceed $1000 for individual, $2000 for families filing jointly, and $100000 for qualified business entities, if they make a two-year commitment. Since 2014, CHA has received more than $1,085,000 in tuition assistance benefiting over 240 students. Your investment has changed Christian Heritage Academy by helping us increase our influence, broaden our diversity, and fulfill our mission of “producing true Christian scholars who will propagate the gospel and restore our nation to its historical Biblical foundation.” For more information regarding OSF, you may visit www.cha.org or click the link.

Heritage Banquet Table Sponsors - Every year, we have friends and families of CHA support this event through table sponsorships. These sponsorships help defray the cost of the banquet as well as support the internal workings of the school. We pray that you will consider partnering with us as a table sponsor for the 2019 Heritage Banquet, Time to Engage, on February 19. We pray that you will join us as we share the vision for what God has challenged us to pursue. We would also encourage you to begin praying for this event and that God would be glorified and the vision that He has given us would be clearly presented. For additional information, please feel free to contact Dr. Susan DeMoss at 672-1787, Ext. 233.

As we “see the blazing yule before us,” which is a symbol of Christ’s birth. May we “strike the harp and join the chorus,” thanking God for what he has done at Christian Heritage Academy and ask the Lord how He wants us to join Him in the work that He is doing at CHA.

Last Wednesday afternoon, the faculty and staff held their annual Christmas party. PURPOSE (Parents Utilizing Resources Providing Opportunities, Serving and Encouraging) hosted the annual souptastic meal for the event providing more than 20 different varieties of soups, various salads and desserts. Mr. Holmes said, “This is one of my favorite days of the year!” Thank you PURPOSE for your continued support of our faculty and staff.

The theme for this year’s party was Victorious King. Christmas wreaths adorned the cafeteria and were the centerpiece of the various games. From throwing marshmallows through a wreath, to making Christmas trees out of cups, the afternoon was filled with laughter. Below are some pictures from the party.

I am so thankful to work in a place where there is JOY! I am also thankful to work in a place where the true meaning of Christmas is proclaimed. After the fun and games, there was a time of reflection. The theme Victorious King focused on the Christmas wreath. A wreath was traditionally awarded to an Olympiad. It was a symbol of strength with interlocking branches. It is still known as a symbol of power and authority. The Christmas wreath is a symbol of Christ's victorious crown. The evergreen, which is most frequently used in making wreaths, symbolizes everlasting life. Holly branches have thorns and when used in a wreath represent the thorns on Jesus' crown when he was crucified. Bright red holly berries symbolize Jesus’ blood that was shed for us. John 19:2 states, “And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe.” Isaiah 53:5 reminds us that “he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” What a glorious reminder of why Christ has come!

Not only that but James 1:12 states that one day, all believers will receive an imperishable crown. “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” 1 Peter 5:4 calls it an “unfading crown of glory.” What are we to do with these crowns? We will cast them before the King of Kings’ throne (Revelation 4:10). We will bow before our Lord and give Him glory.

The picture above is of a cross where the teachers laid their handmade crowns before Him in worship. In the midst of this season's Christmas parties, holiday treats and gatherings, let’s remember the reason why Christ came. He is our Victorious King who has come into the world to testify to the truth (John 18:37).

I remember receiving my first “Save the Date” card for a wedding many years ago. I opened the card and was surprised to see it was an announcement to the announcement. My first thought was “This is fun but why is it needed.” As my kids have grown older and life has gotten busier, I realized that “Save the Dates” are not only helpful but necessary to ensure the important events are not missed. Thus, it is my pleasure to share with you the “Save the Date” for the 2019 Heritage Banquet. Each year at CHA we come together to remember and celebrate what God has done here and continues to do. This celebration is called the Heritage Banquet. It is a time for life-long friends and families of CHA to celebrate God’s faithfulness. It is a time for new friends and prospective families to come and hear what God is doing. It is a special time.

This year’s theme is Time to Engage. John 9:4 states, “We must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.” This year, we are privileged to have as our guest speaker, Dr. Everett Piper from Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Dr. Piper is the author of Why I Am A Liberal, and Other Conservative Ideas and the best-selling book Not a Daycare: The Devastating Consequences of Abandoning Truth. Dr. Piper has been featured on a variety of media outlets including FOX News, FOX and Friends, FOX Business Channel, The Glenn Beck Show, The Factor with Bill O’Reilly, NRA TV, The Dana Loesch Show, The Adam Carolla Show, and The 700 Club with Pat Robertson. He has also been a guest on dozens of talk-radio programs from coast to coast. He continually demonstrates that now is the time to engage.

Christian Heritage Academy is committed to developing American Christian Leaders who will be used of God to engage the culture for the sake of the gospel. As one reads the paper or listens to the news, it is evident that now is the time to engage. May it not be said of this generation as it was in the time of Ezekiel 22:30, “And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.” May God continue to use CHA, our families and our churches to raise up a generation that is committed to upholding the truths of God’s Word and living in the resurrected power of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We pray that you will “Save the Date” and make plans to join us on February 19, 2019. Invitations will be mailed in January. Table sponsorships and underwriting opportunities are available for this event.

This year, our first child went to college. While he is only forty-five minutes away, not seeing him at the dinner table, saying good night to him or knowing how his day has gone has been an adjustment. What makes the process palatable is knowing he is where God wants him to be and that we want the best for him. With this in mind, I remember the first year I came to CHA, I was amazed at how many international students attended CHA. I could not believe that some of these students had attended CHA since they were in sixth grade. I think about how many of my international students do not get to see their families for a year! The sacrifices these families made for their children to attend school in the United States is far more than financial. I am so grateful for the work of Mrs. Audra King and our host home families who make this transition possible and positive. Most of these students have never heard the name of Jesus. I am even more thankful God has sovereignly brought the nations to CHA and even more importantly given us wonderful faculty members who share the gospel daily in their classrooms.

Sharing the gospel is the CHA Way. It is a fulfillment of our mission statement which states that we are called to “assist the home and church in building a solid foundation in the life of each student--a life which is characterized by a personal salvation experience, the development of Christian character, the Christian conscience and Christian self-government. The ultimate goal of the Academy is to produce true Christian scholars who will be used of God to propagate the Gospel throughout the whole world and to restore our American Christian Republic to its historic, Biblical foundation.” Of all the things that I am grateful for at CHA, this is the pinnacle. There is no greater calling than to share the good news of Jesus Christ to the nations.

This Tuesday is #GivingTuesday. Last week, I asked you to pray how God may have you invest in CHA. Here are four opportunities for you to partner with us in the gospel:

Prayer - Please pray for the upcoming enrollment season. Our prayer is to enroll 100 new students. This increase is not about numbers. It is about influence. We believe that CHA has been called to train American Christian Leaders in every sphere of society. We have some of the best and most dedicated faculty and staff members in the state.

Capital Campaign - Christian Heritage Academy offers it supporters many opportunities to invest in improving the facility and transportation needs of students. The Pursuing Excellence campaign focuses on both academic and athletic building and transportation improvements. This is a $1.9 million project. Recently, we purchased two new buses which should be arriving in early January. On Thursday, November 27, we will be hosting a dedication/open house for our new Genesis Learning Center which was provided by the capitol campaign funds. We still need new monies to complete the third floor remodel and secondary STEM rooms. If you would like to give to this project or learn more about this, please click here for more information.

Heritage Fund - Christian Heritage Academy offers its supporters many opportunities to support student learning. Investors in the school’s mission may give to the Heritage Fund which supports areas such as science, technology, fine arts, teacher grants and a variety of other areas in the school directly impacting student learning. Last year, monies given at the Heritage Banquet and from private donors funded items such as new chromebook carts for students, allowed teachers to attend conferences, enabled the establishment of a kinesthetic learning lab for lower elementary students (The Loop) and purchased innovative curriculum for classrooms. If you would like to give to the Heritage Fund or to learn more about this, please click here for more information.

Opportunity Scholarship Fund - The OSF allows taxpayers to redirect a portion of their state tax dollars to provide tuition scholarships for students attending a private school. Since 2014, CHA has received more than $1,085,000 in tuition assistance benefiting over 240 students. Your investment has changed Christian Heritage Academy by helping us increase our influence, broaden our diversity, and fulfill our mission of “producing true Christian scholars who will propagate the gospel and restore our nation to its historical Biblical foundation.” For more information regarding OSF, click here.

Whether through prayer, the Capital Campaign, the Heritage Fund or the Opportunity Scholarship Fund, may we count on you this #GivingTuesday as we partner in sharing the gospel with the nations?